Storytelling Makes The Big World Small

I stood in the middle of the one-street downtown of Myrtle Creek, Oregon, and thought about Charles Antis, Founder/CEO of Antis Roofing and Waterproofing, and storyteller for good. Charles, who had recently helped lead the fundraising of $14 million for Ronald McDonald House, and has donated roofs for all of the Habitat for Humanity homes in Orange County, is a busy guy.

But it wasn’t until that moment that I saw that part of his power is as a small town guy. How he sees connections, threads, and relationships because he sees the best in people. How he tells stories that illuminate vulnerability and opportunity.

How does he spread the good news, in such a vast region as Orange County?

By being a small town man.

But not one single time in the years I’ve known him, have I seen him break out his guitar and weave his stories through a Johnny Cash song. Not once, until he stepped on stage and brought us to a Sunday morning of his youth, his dad cooking bacon on the stove.

From there, he reveals how he read the map of his life to create power and purpose.